Bucket



June 14, 1932. w. 1.. THOMPSON BUCKET Filed Feb. 27, 1930 I5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR wbfhompe n,

WITNESS ATTORNEY June 14, 1932. V w L, THOMPSON 1,863,458

BUCKET Filed Feb. 27, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 If BY ATTORNEY June 14, 1932.

w. L. THOMPSON 1,863,458

BUCKET Filed Feb. 27. 19:50 a Sheets-Sheet a WITNESS Wm ATTORNEY Patented June 14, 1932 PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM L. THOMPSON, OF STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI BUCKET Application filed February 27, 1930. Serial No. 431,819.

My invention relates to excavating buckets and more particularly to those operated by drag and hoist lines.

Among the disadvantages of excavating 5 buckets now in use are: The shoe when under load adds considerable resistance to sliding over the ground; the bucket can contain but a minimum quantity due to the fact that a substantial portion of the side walls of the 10 bucket are open at the front; the hoist line is attached directly to the bucket and will lift and turn the load about an axis located adjacent the rear of the bucket; the bottom of the bucket when in wet or sticky material produces an additional pull on the hoist line when dumping incident to the vacuum beneath the bottom of the bucket the drag lines are so attached to the bucket as to hamper the digging and sliding movement of the bucket.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide an excavating bucket wherein the above named objections are entirely removed or reduced to a minimum.

More specifically the invention provides means whereby the drag line is caused to exert a downward pull on the bucket during the digging or excavating operation and exerts a pull parallel to the ground during the sliding operation of the bucket.

Further the invention provides a bucket having a pair of side plates associated therewith which serve to change the line of pull on the bucket as above stated, constitute runners for the bucket so that its cutting edge is held out of contact with the ground, and normally act as part of the side walls of the bucket.

\Vith the preceding and other objects and advantages in mind the invention consists in the novel combination of elements, constructions and arrangements of parts and operations to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved excavating bucket; the broken lines indicating the position of parts for the digging operation;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4.4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the modified form of the invention; the broken lines indicating the position of parts for the digging operation;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the modification disclosed in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on line 77 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the invention in detail and particularly to Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive an excavator shovel having parallel side walls 5 which are connected at their rear ends by a concavo-convex wall 6 is provided. The forward end of the wall 6 stops at a considerable distance from the forward ends of the side walls and welded or otherwise secured thereto is a bar 7 provided with a plurality of forwardly extending excavating teeth 8 which are disposed slightly above the ground level. The extremities'of this bar 7 are extended along the inner faces of the side walls as disclosed in Fig. 4 and are likewise welded or otherwise secured to reinforce these walls. A reinforcingstrip 9 is also secured to the 7 upper face of the wall 6 adjacent the bar 7 to lend rigidity to the structure in the zone of the teeth.

To permit a digging position and facilitate dumping of the bucket the side walls are formed with forwardly extending parallel extensions 10 whose lower edges are located a considerable distance above the ground level. Thus the dirt can discharge in lateral directions as well as downwardly when the V bucket is hoisted to dumping position.

Arranged at the forward end of the bucket is an arch or inverted U-shaped member 11 whose parallel legs 12 are disposed upon the outer faces of the extensions at their forward ends and suitably connected thereto.

Extending along the outer face of each of the side walls 5 is anormally horizontally disposed lever 13 each of which having an angularly disposed extension 14. The upper I ends of these extensions 14 are pivotally supported from laterally extending studs 15 carried by the vertical legs 12 of the arch 11. Spacer elements 16 are interposed between the legs 12 and the extensions 14 to retain the same against lateral movement. The spacer blocks 16 are formed with retaining elements 17 which overlie the outer faces of the extensions 14 and hold them against lateral movement in the opposite direction.

The draft chain 18 is attached to laterally extending studs 19 projecting from the forward ends of the lever 13. Keepers 20 are carried by blocks 21 fixed to the outer faces of the levers and are normally engaged with the studs to hold the draft chain against detachment.

Lateral movement and the consequential fouling of the bucket is obviated by means of vertically extending rails 22 and 23 respectively and which are contacted by the levers 13 during their movement. Stops 24 are provided at the ends of the rails 23 for limiting the movement of the levers about their axes. As disclosed in Fig. 1 the levers normally rest upon the stops at the lower ends of the rails 23 to sustain them in horizontal position. At their rear ends the levers 13 are rigidly connected together by a cross rod 25 which is provided with connections 26 for the usual hoist line 27.

A substantially rectangular plate 28 is carried by each of the levers 13 below the extension 10 and normally serve as continuations of the side walls of the bucket to prevent lateral discharge of the dirt. The lower edges of these plates project slightly below the forward edge of the concavo-convex wall 6 and constitute runners for the bucket when sliding the same over the ground. It will he therefore manifest that friction is reduced to a minimum and that the bucket cannot adhere to the ground when being hoisted to dumping position. To prevent discharge of the dirt between the side walls of the bucket and the plates the rear ends of the latter are bent inwardly at an angle, to constitute wings or shields 29 which lie relatively close to the outer faces of the side walls of the bucket.

A modification of the invention is disclosed in Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive. In this form of the invention the bucket is substantially rectangular and its side walls are provided with forwardly extending arms or extensions 30 and supported thereby is an inverted U- shaped member or yoke 31, which as shown in Fig. 5, has its parallel legs extended below the extensions 30. In lieu of the plates 28 this form of the invention embodies castings 32 upon opposite sides of the bucket and which are pivotally mounted for movement about horizontal axes 33 located in close proximity to the yoke 31. The lower ends of these castings carry a horizontally disposed bar 34 equipped with a plurality of forwardly extending teeth 35. Substantially triangular manner as the cross rod 25 of the above stated construction.

A drag link 37 is pivotally connected with each of the castings32 at a point above the teeth 35 as indicated'at 38. These drag links extend through guides 39 in the vertical legs of the yoke 31 and in practice are connected with the usual drag chains 18.

\Vhen the bucket is being drawn over the ground the parts occupy the position disclosed in full lines in Fig. 5. However, when in digging position the parts are disposed in the dot-and-dash showing to dispose the cutting teeth at an angle towards the ground.

I claim:

1. In an excavating bucket, side walls, a rear wall'connecting said side walls and terminating at its lower end into a forwardly directed portion having digging means carried thereby, the lower forward portion of said side walls being formed separately from and mounted for vertical swinging movement relative to the body portion thereof, a drag line connected to said swinging side portions forwardly thereof, a hoist line connected to said swinging side portions for elevating the same and the points of connection of the drag line thereto relative to the body portion of the bucket.

2. In an excavating bucket, parallel side walls, a rear wall connecting the side walls together, teeth carried by the forward end of the bucket, parallel extensions projecting from the side walls forwardly of the cutting A teeth, plates pivotally supported from the extensions and normally constituting extensions of the side walls and serving as runners when the bucket is being slid over the ground surface, and means operable from a hoist line to lift the plates from the ground when the bucket is digging or being dumped.

3. In an excavating bucket, substantially parallel side walls, a rear wall connecting the side walls and having a forwardly extending lower terminus, digging means carried by said forwardly extending terminus, extensions on the side walls forwardly of the digging means, upstanding plates pivotally supported from said extensions, a hoist line connected to said plates, and a drag line connected to said plates below the pivotal axis thereof. 7

4. In an excavating bucket having substantially parallel side walls, a rear wall connecting said side walls and terminating at its line thereto, and stops carried by the bucket lower end in a forwardly directed digging in the path of movement of the levers for edge, levers pivoted to said side walls adj aengagement by the latter to efiect dumping cent the forward and upper edges thereof and of the bucket upon continued lifting of the including a downwardly extending portion levers by the terminating into a rearwardly extending portion, means for connecting a drag line to said levers adjacent the lower end of the downwardly extending portions thereof, and means for connecting a hoist line to said rearwardly extending portions.

5. In an excavating bucket having substantially parallel side walls, a rear wall connecting said side walls and terminating at its lower end in a forwardly directed portion having digging means carried thereby, substantially parallel extensions carried by said side walls forwardly of said digging means, levers pivoted to said extensions and including a downwardly extending portion terminating into a rearwardly extending portion, plates carried by said levers and normally constituting extensions of the side walls, means for connecting a drag line to said levers adjacent the lower end of the downwardly extending portions thereof, and means for connecting the rearwardly extending portions of said levers to a hoist line.

6. In an excavating bucket having substantially parallel side walls, a rear wall connecting said side walls and terminatin at its lower end in a forwardly directed igging edge, levers pivoted to said side walls adjacent the forward and upper edges thereof and including a downwardly extending portion terminating into a rearwardly extending portion, means for connecting a drag line to said levers adjacent the lower end of the downwardly extending portions thereof, means for connecting a hoist line to said rearwardly extending portions to effect lifting thereof to elevate the points of connection of the drag line thereto, and stops carried by the bucket in the path of movement of the levers for engagement by the latter to effect dumping of the bucket upon continued lifting of the levers by the hoist line.

7. In an excavating bucket having substantially parallel side walls, a rear wall connecting said side walls and terminating at its lower end in a forwardly directed portion having digging means carried thereby, substantially parallel extensions carried by said side walls forwardly of said digging means, levers pivoted to said extensions and including a downwardly extending portion terminating into a rearwardly extending portion, plates carried by said levers and normally constituting extensions of the side walls,

means for connecting a drag line to said levers adjacent the lower end of the down wardly extending portions thereof, means for connecting a hoist line to said rearwardly extending portions to effect lifting thereof to elevate the points of connection of the drag ILLIAM L. THOMPSON. 

